My unknown mistake

I started this 30 gal tank 1yr ago and just let it sit and run its course like a friend had told me to do, I thought I had figured it out but after visiting these threads on this site it amazes me how much I didn't know about salt water. Its not much but its a work in progress. The one on the left is right after everything settled just a few days after putting it together. Then the second is nine months later when I realized that all that red slim is bad.

Welcome to the forums.

Looks like you need more flow in there. Also, you need to add water as it evaporates. (I noticed that in the 9 month picture the water is half way down the heater) Only use fresh water to top it off. Dont use salt water to do this.
Most people do a water change once a week with fresh salt water.

Wow!

Well, the bright side is you have come to the right place!

My advice, start over and we'll get you moving in the correct direction.
9 months from now you will have a KILLER tank! :)

Welcome to the forum,

It looks like something got murdered in there.:D I would agree with the last post, dismantle it, clean it up, and start over. Listen to the veterans on this site, they know what they're talking about, I'm a newb as well, they've saved me from myself on more than one occasion.

na no reason to dismantle it. I assume you have no fish in it. Do a large volume water change. About 50% roughly with new saltwater. When your syphoning out water use the hose to try and suck out as much of the red as possible. Cut the lights off for a few days and cover the tank so no light gets in. After that religiously maintain your water level topped off with fresh unsalted RO/DI or distilled water. Do weekly water changes of about 10%. In about a month your slime problem should be gone. Also get a saltwater test kit. These water changes help keep down nitrates and phosphates in newer aquariums. You want to maintain your nitrate levels at 10ppm or less to keep algae in somewhat of a check.

While your doing all this start learning about water parameters and how to maintain them. These tanks really aren't the massive amounts of work people think but they do require some small amounts of maintenance to keep from becoming massive amounts of work.

VAreef said:

na no reason to dismantle it. I assume you have no fish in it. Do a large volume water change. About 50% roughly with new saltwater. When your syphoning out water use the hose to try and suck out as much of the red as possible. Cut the lights off for a few days and cover the tank so no light gets in. After that religiously maintain your water level topped off with fresh unsalted RO/DI or distilled water. Do weekly water changes of about 10%. In about a month your slime problem should be gone. Also get a saltwater test kit. These water changes help keep down nitrates and phosphates in newer aquariums. You want to maintain your nitrate levels at 10ppm or less to keep algae in somewhat of a check.

While your doing all this start learning about water parameters and how to maintain them. These tanks really aren't the massive amounts of work people think but they do require some small amounts of maintenance to keep from becoming massive amounts of work.

Click to expand...

More flow in addition to this would be beneficial as well, so that food and detritus doesn't settle out of suspension before it can be used or filtered out.

another thing. i have heard of heaters exploding when exposed to air and then re-submerged. (this happened to my cousin) it went right through his sump and into the nearest wall

take precautions with that heater. they arent that expensive and you may want to get a new one.

+1 d2mini!!

It will be time well saved just to clean everything up and start over. My tank was neglected for almost a year (due mostly to a change of work). As I began fixing it up, I decided it would be much easier just to start fresh.

I sold it all, up graded to a bigger tank and here is where I am now. I started the tank in mid January.

:bounce::^::mrgreen: Thank you Richard at Tampa Bay Saltwater!!

I'm a bit of a newbie myself...and thought I was well prepared to tackle my first saltwater tank. Then I found this site...I realized what I actually knew was nothing. What little I did know was wrong. This site is truly a TANK SAVER. :)

Beautiful photos cdaubs!

Save yourself lots of heartache, READ THIS:

https://www.livingreefs.com/marine-aquarium-disasters-and-prevent-them-t20514.html

Yup i agree with u4boyz, i thought i knew enought but i am learning alot by talking with everyone on here. Thank you everyone .

Good luck with everything, true. Have you decided to start over?

Thank you U4BOYZ

Charlie :)

No I think Im gonna try to clean it all up and see if it will work, then my last resort will be to start over cuz i really dont have the money to start over. I plan on probably just emptying out as much water as i can cuz alot has already evaporated then put more saltwater in it and get some power heads and no light and a test kit and start watching how it goes. What do yall think?

I think thats a step in the right direction.:D
I'm thinking like Va.Just top the tank off with fresh RO or distilled water.You'll have to do that to get the salinty back where its supposed to be.Then mix up enough saltwater for at least a 50% water change,I'd shoot for 75% myself.The do the water change.Siphoning out as much of the slime as I could get to.
It'll also help to get some more flow in there.A couple of Koralia #1s or even #2s would be about perfect for your tank.
Then while your running those HOB filters,pull the pads out and rinse them out daily.That will remove most of the particles before they can break down causing poor water quality.